Address: | 3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA |
Phone: | +1 714-557-5679 |
Site: | anqibistro.com |
Rating: | 4 |
Working: | 11:30AM–9PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–9PM |
AU
Autumnn Wind
We came on a Thursday night ...was seated within ten minutes without reservation. Dinning area is dimly lit, the music was almost too loud. We ordered jumbo prawn with chorizo rice (38$) . The prawn was not overcooked but the rice and chorizo was not a good combination. The sweetness and freshness of the prawn was over shadowed by the salty sour spicy chorizo. The sauce just kind of sits there ..not enhancing the dish in any way. The other dish we ordered was butterfish in saffron red rice and broccoli rabbe(35$). You can also have the fish with noodles. We opted for rice. The fish was cooked very well with a black bean glaze. Tender and moist. For the rice , we could not detect any saffron at all. A light yet slightly creamy and may be little too salty sauce envelops the red rice. Both portions are extremely tiny . All in all nothing spectacular. If you want to show off to your date and pretend you are a young hip successful person, this is the perfect place for u. Basically moms cooking slightly fancied up. Would I come back? probably not. My moms cooking is much more to my taste, and I am sure I my stomach will be satisfied. The flavors of the two dishes we sampled are not quite there. There are other items on the menu but majority of them are basically Asian fusion fare fancied up to match the price. Flavor wise the two items we had, seem to not completely melded. Perhaps a little more sweetness would have cause more excitement to my taste buds. Too bad since I wanted this place to do well. And yes, I ate at Crustacean ( sister restaurant ) and was thoroughly disappointed there. Even their famous garlic noodles left much to be desired.
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Phoebe Lao
I absolutely love the kurodai sashimi, the Tombo Tuna Crispy wontons and most definitely, the famous Garlic Noodles. Of the spicy tapas, the tombo tuna crispy wontons held the perfect amount of kick to it, gave in slightly to the truffle flavor and showed off the fresh tasting tuna. With the just-right creaminess of avocados and the thin, contrasting pear? Apple? taste left my taste buds begging for another bite. I can finish three orders of these golden-crisp, taco-like wontons with a satisfying crunch. The kurodai sashimi is presented well, being kept over a block of ice along with three different dipping sauces. My personal favorite is the ponzu-soysauce with a hint of lime. The jalapeños-soy sauce takes away the refreshing cleaning affect of the thinly sliced whitefish and the original soy sauce is simply too ordinary. The lime-soy kurodai brings a tangy intermezzo for the previous tapas, like cleaning your mouth and stomach for the next heavier eats. I find the dipping sauces to be a waste in general; usually soy sauce puts too much flavor into the kurodai, oversalting and ruining its refreshing flavor. Then comes the famous garlic noodles. No need to explain those. I have one request, and its to please bring the beef carpaccio tapa back. Anqi served the best beef carpaccio Ive ever tasted and now that its gone, I cant have my carpaccio anywhere else.
IA
Ian
One of my go to places for quality gourmet lunch! Still need make time to experience dinner but thats for another time. My co-worker introduced me to this restaurant and the reviews are good. The restaurant is located inside of Bloomingdales and across from Charlie Palmer. There is lots of parking outside the restaurant or you can opt for $6 valet parking. I generally sit at the bar since lunch is only a hour. The menu is quite simple but the first few times we went with fan favorites. Each dish ranges from 8 - 20 something dollars. Lunch is also daily from 11:30am - 2:30pm. Surf & Turf Roll - $14 These are pre-made rolls which is a little concerning because my friend is allergic to avocado. Luckily the chef was nice enough to prepare a fresh dish for us. Steak and spicy tuna with poblano peppers went very nicely. One of my favorite rolls here. Garlic Noodles - $10 Apparently this a great go to small plate. People rave about this dish and frankly I can see why. The noodles are cooked perfectly with just the right amount of garlic. Love the flavors Ive had other great dishes but these two stand out. Service is always good as well. The bartenders are attentive, courteous, and willing to explain the menu to the customers. I always look forward to coming to AnQi.
A
A Private User
As a quasi-foodie, I enjoy food prepared differently. Anqi is consistently the most interesting restaurant in the OC. Last night, the sable (a fancy name for butterfish) special was spiced with a light glaze. Everyone wanted it. The seasoning was balanced, nuanced, and mysterious. A perfect course. For dessert, the chocolate twist contained subtle hot sauces and seemed "molecular" in background. It was an interesting food that wasnt typical. The service was subtle and pervasive. The waitress was knowledgeable, the owner pleasant, and everything was prompt. The atmosphere was modern, yet wooded and restrained. In short, Anqi is a smart choice when memories matter.
IA
Ian Russell
Food is great, but they are incapable of getting an order correct. Five times in a row, they have messed up the order. Tonight, like a three-year old, I repeat the order three times, the hostess repeats it back three times - I get to the restaurant and the order is not complete (this was a to-go order). Tonight, I just cancel the whole order, since times 1 through 4, they ended up cooking the rest of the order, but the original part was cold. Youd think they would recook the whole order. Not doing this again.
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Brian Koshley
walked in for a quick lunch at the bar today. Sat down and waited ... and waited ... and waited. Manager, bartender and waiter at the end of the bar engrossed in conversation. Manager sipping her coffee staring at me and Im waiting ... and waiting ... and .... Patron next to me says "maybe they need a bell." A bell, for this location, and these prices. Only reason for 2 stars is Ive been there before and the food is amazing. But today, they failed miserably. Which is why Im now sitting at the bar at Pregos.
SO
Sonal Patel
Popped in for drinks a few times now, in an attempt to make happy hour, but never manage to be on time.... My usual is at the bar, gossiping away with girl friends and catch up on the week. The wine list offers plenty of options and the food menu looks amazing. Ive been told I must come and try the garlic noodles, which is still on my bucket list! The service is really nice every time Ive come, which is why Im always back for more drinks...now if only I could work up an appetite and be on time for happy hour.
AM
Amy Weiner
Enjoyed a nice lunch with my Mom and was very pleased with our meal. We shared the Garlic Noodles with Prawns and the Wokd Vegetables. The wokd vegetables were my favorite. Cooked to perfection with the vegetables still crisp, the sauce was amazing! We didnt plan on eating much of the rice but we kept adding spoonful after spoonful with the sauce and couldnt help ourselves. Like good girls, we ate all our veggies! Will definitely be back and try other dishes.
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Jeffrey H. Johnston
Used to be a great restaurant a few years back, had a disappointing lunch, wont go into details, but dined there 50+ times. Service was still excellant, but were told we couldnt sit in the main dinning area where we had for many a year. All reserved, yet we noticed only 1/3 of the tables were taken. Were not fond of being lied to. However, it was the cuisine that was disappointing, everything else was minor.